Planning Primer: What's the Word?

If you're just starting out in the meetings and events industry, you may feel as if your caterer is speaking Greek. Columbia Tower Club's Jacques Bergeron helps decode some common catering terms.

A la carte >> menu items priced individually and ordered as such.

Action Station >> a food station with a chef cooking and serving food prepared on site.

Amuse-bouche >> a taste tickler served before the appetizer and chosen by the chef alone.

Arrival Pattern >> the manner in which groups arrive to a function.

Bistro Chairs >> a type of stool, with a back and no arms, that sits higher than a normal chair.

Butlered Service >> a reference to the style of service for a event whereby guests are greeted with trays of beverages as they arrive.

CEO /BEO >> catering event order and banquet event order.

Chiavari Chairs >> high-end style chairs used for social occasions.

Consumption Bar >> no minimum on a bar that charges the client for the drinks based on consumption.

Crudite >> raw seasonal vegetables served on a platter with dipping sauces, usually served during an event reception.

Demitasse >> French for "half-cup." Refers to smaller cups and spoons for stylized service, usually during dessert.

Final Guarantee >> the guest count the client is responsible in regard to payment of an event. It is usually given three to five days prior to the day of event.

Flying Buffet >> finger foods set on buffet.

Full Bar >> includes spirits, wine, beer and non-alcoholic beverages.

Half Round >> a table set-up also known as three-quarter round. Used often in meetings. It allows everyone to face the same way for presentations, lectures, etc.

Head count >> number of expected guests to an event

Hospitality Room >> room where guests can mingle and network in between sessions. Can also refer to the "green room" where VIP guests are held until they are brought out to a function.

No Host Bar >> guests pay individually for their drinks.

Open Bar or Hosted Bar >> free drinks for all your guests on the host's tab.

Open Seating >> also known as "festival" seating, guests are free to sit anywhere in the dining area.

Pipe and Drape >> additional rented materials used to create pathways, back drops, mask walls or enhance the event space.

Sommelier >> the wine steward of an establishment with a high level of knowledge in wine.

Staggered arrival >> guests arrive throughout the evening at various times.

Jacques Bergeron is director of catering for Columbia Tower Club in Seattle. He is currently the chapter president of the Greater Seattle Area of NACE (National Association of Catering Executives) and is also a member of Seattle's Convention and Visitor Bureau and the Greater Seattle Business Association.

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Columbia Tower Club // 206.386.5184